Draft-rigging for railway-cars.



' C. V.'. SHERMAN.

DRAFT RIGGING FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLlcATloN FILED Fa.6.19n.

Patented J an. 25, 1916-.

7o 70. 7,2, -16` 78 i' f'. 11m. 6 fa l ammi an. [16 M [Uh -MNR 2o 7 70 izo 750 730 74o 77 73 "fe'srriari sanne-s rarrnirr sirio CFTGN Vif. SHERMAN, 0F BUFFALO, NEVI YORK, SSIGNOR T5 THE .NTIONAL MAK;-

LEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELND, GEIQ, A CORPORATN OF OHIO.'

DRAFT-RIGGING FR PrVAY-CAl'SL known as friction draft gears, and more n particularly to a friction gear in which the frictional elements are comprised' of a plnrality of friction shoes arranged in successive sets 'at d adapted` toff'be forcedeagainst a friction member 'by Wdginp; mens In 1511 devices of this kindvthebufiing orcushioning capacity depends onthe compressionof the springs and the angle of the coperating `inclines of the shoesl and wedges."

The object ofthe invention is to increase rthe frictional resistance Within the limits new available for this mechanism and still permit of a proper release of the wedges :andshoes when the pressure-1s removed.

.- In the accompanying drawings: Figilre 1 I is fragmentary horizontal longitudinal section of the draft rigging of a railway y ,car embodying one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal Section of `the same in line 22, F1g2 1 Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section line 3 3,-

rig. L f `Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout Vthe lseveral views. l f 1,

Referring to Figs, '1-31, 1,A l', represent the draft sillsorjbeams of ithe car which are 'r arranged` lengthwise 'and' y parallelA Y underneath thebedvof theV car, 2' and 3 the front' n and A'rearv followers -gw ,are guided "hetweensaid 1sills 'soas .ty Y efcapabl'e of ,moving'lroriaontally. `'forvvsilrd and backward, 4

'thelpair lo@ front stops vor blocks secured to tli inner sides .of the sills and operating to-lixnitlthe forward lmovement of the front follower, 5 the pair'of rear stops or blocks securerlfto the vinnersides of the sills and mgto rearward. movement Specification of Letters Patent.

coupler shank arrange-ol lengthwise in front of the front follower, and 7 the strap or yoke connected with thedraw bar and .Patented Jan. 25, 1916.

Application tiled February '5, 1911. Serial-o. 606,917.

as follows:-The friction member 8, `Which l have shown in the form of a cylindrical casing, is arranged horizontally and lengthwise between the sills and supported between the longitudinal partsv of the strap or yoke. The rear end of this friction member engages with the front side of' the rear follower and is provided with a forwardly facing shoulder 9 While the front end of the same is separated from the rear side of the front follower' yan intervening space or clearance.' This friction member forms the friction or brake member and is incapable of lateral movement. Engaging the rear shoulder 9 Iof, the friction member 8, there is a spring cushion which preferably consists of two coil springs 10, 1l of differ! ent diameters, the smaller Ao e l0 being arranged axially within the larger one 11.

A t the forward end of the friction member 8, and adjacent to the ,spring cushion,

are arranged wedging friction members which crate' with the springcushion and the c'y ifnderfor absorbing, cushioning or relieving the impact against the car. These wedging friction members comprise `a pluralityof sets of such members each set constitutinga vcomplete friction device. AL though the' number of sets of wedging friction members may be varied, two sets of such members an outer orfront set, and an inner or rearset, as shown in the drawings, are preferred.l l

The front ,setV ofY wedging Afriction members preferably Vcomprises a plurality of ricton or brake'shoes 12, preferably three innumber, arrangedin any annular row and each having a friction/face 13 and an inclined or wed'ging face/14,' and a wedge member l5 arranged againstthe annular row of shoes and provided withl aplurality of inclined faces 16 each zof which engages with the inclined face of one of the cornpanion shoes. The large ends of the shoes are preferably provided with flat transverse faces 17 and the large end of the wedge member is provided with; a fiat transverse face '18. i v

The rear set of wedging frictional inem bers is constructed substantiall like the front set andcomprises' a plurality of friction or brake shoes 120, preferably three in number, arranged in an annular row and each having' a friction face 130 'and an inclin'e'i or wedging face 140, and a wedge member* 150`arranged against the `inner annulafr row ofsh'oes land provided with a plurality of inclined faces 160 each'of which engages withjthe inclined face 140 ofone of the companion shoesgi; V shoes 'of the inner oY l rear set are.preferably provided with fiat transverse faces 170 and the large vend of the-rear wedge member is provided with'a vfiat transverse face 180.

Alsv shown in. Fig .1, vthe two sets of wedging friction"members are arranged tandemfashion and the flat -faces at the large ends of the rear set of shoes bear4 against the front endsof'the spiral springs of the cushion device and the flat faces on the large ends of the'front set of shoes engage with the fiat face of the large end of the rear Wedge'while the flat face on the large end ofjthefront wedge bears against the rear side of the front follower.

` The friction member 8 and the two annularly. arranged sets of friction members are i movably connected so as to be capable of axial` movement relatively to each other,

preferably byl means of a longitudinal tie .r'od'or bolt 20 arranged centrally within the.

springs, friction member and wedges and providedeat' its opposite ends with shoulders 21;"22' -formed by the head and nut thereof which engage one with the outer side of the rear 'endl of. the friction member and the otherfwith the outer side of the front wedge vof the `we'dging friction members.

In the assembled condition of the parts, the'springs and inner set of wedging friction members are arranged wholly in lengagement with the friction member while the outer set of Wedging friction members is arranged onlypart way in engagement with .the friction member and projects forwardly therefrom. en the draw bar or coupler shankismoved backwardly by the impact with another ldraw bar or coupler the rear followerv remains at rest and forms the abutment which rreceives the-thrust while the .front follower moves rearwardly. During this movement the wedges by reason of the Q engagement of their inclined faces with the corresponding faces of the companion shoes cause the latter to be wedged and their friction faces to haar with increased frictional pressure against' the friction face of the friction member 8. While the shoes of both sets of wedging friction members are thus wedged into. frictional engagement with the friction member 8 the frictional resistance The large ends ofthe from this that if the inclines of` the front and rear sets of shoes were the samethat the front shoes would b e forced with.A a greater pressure against the friction member and consequently would do more work than resisting the impact on the draft rigging.;` In order to equalize or nearly so thefworlrA of both sets of shoes and obtain the maxiy the rear set of shoes so far as frictionally o I mum resisting effect within a given length..

of space the angles of vthe coperating inclines of the two sets of shoes and wedges is so'determined that the inner Wedge will exert a greater thrust on the rear shoes' than that exerted by the front wedge on the frongtl l shoes and thus compensate for the difference between the resistance "to the longitu dinal movement encountered byfthe twoH sets of shoes and wedges.

The relative angle of the coperating inclined surfaces of the two sets of shoes and wedges may be of any degree which may. be found suitable or desirable Ain practice for a particular weight of car'for properly resisting the impact at`any part of the Stroke' and still permit of proper release or return movement to normal position of the wedges and shoes as the impact on the same relaxes. Although the angles of the inclines on the shoes and wedges for this purpose'may vary those which are representedl in the drawings, for example, are 'suitable` As shown in the drawings, the coperating' inclined of the rear shoes and wedges are at an angle o'f thirtyfive degrees and the angle i of the coperating inclines of the front set of shoes and wedges is. fortyvfive degrees. Owing to this difference in the angles of the inclines of the two sets of shoes and wedges the forward orl inward movement of the draw bar causes both sets ofvshoes to bear with equal or nearly equal pressure against the friction member 8.

It will thus be apparent that the frictional capacity of this device is-dependent directly upon-the resistance behind each Set of shoes and wedge, and that springs'constitutethe sole means of resistingthe inward move. ment of the rear shoes and wedge and thereforecontrol the wedging of the rear shoes; while the combined tension of the springs and the frictional capacity of the rear shoes and wedge resists the forward or inward movement of the front set of shoes and wedges andvcontrols the wedging action of the front shoes, thereby intensifying the fkring action and frictional resistance and altiplying the capacity of the draft rigging accordingly. fhe aggregate frictional resistance which it is possible to obtain by this means is much greater than when the two sets of shoes and Wedges have inclines of the same angle, and very much greater than it has been possible to obtain heretofore by other means Within the Yspace noW available on cars of standard construction. vWhen the draw bar is pulled forward the front follower becomes the abutment in which case the friction member and swings are moved toward the two sets of friction ineinbers and the wedging anon the shoes by the wedges is iWhen the impact on tlc cushionvn'r, ha@ spent itself tht` follewcrs :1re

'n aon of the springs and at ihn vtime the n release themselves ifi-.xm the shoes and the latter release their grip on the friction member Ilhe terms and expressions which l have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and l have no inten lion, in the nee of such terms and expres' sions, of excluding any mechanical equivalents tf thefeaturcs shown and described. or portiere: tl'lereol, but recognize that xarioos strnctnral modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

l claim as invention:

l, ln i draft gear, a shell having an internal cylindrical friction face, a plurality of sets ol' s l,mnental friction blocks arranged end to end ithin the shell` a wedge within each ser of fri'ton blocks, each set of friction blocks having' external faces frictionally engaging the shell. iliternal 'forward angular friction faces engaging the wedge and flat rear faces, each wedge romin'ising a single non-c1-llapsible inenil'ier and the coj1l eratlng inclined faces of one set ai' friction blocks and Wedge being of a different angle from theangle of the cooperating inclined faces of the. blocks and wedge of the other set 52, A draft ri f' for railway cars com` prier a cylinr 'nella f outer friction mear a 'oline o? l inner frictir'i melt said sels arrangcd tanfler and each set tvs arranged in 'n khoe having a :es the bore n one end said r :'gnising a plurality an annular row and curved outer 'ace whi `v nl" the cylinder. a fiat i* Y arranged at ht angles to the airis or ,said cylinder and clined front face, and a edge or r having` inclined rear faces engag- ,he inclined front faces el the comunas and a flat front arranged angles to the axis of the cylinder,

,f rated one from the other by the eail and a spring arranged in the opposite end of the cylinderl and operating to resist longi tudinal n'iovement of said inner and outer friction members relativelyy to each other, the rear faces of theshoes of the rear set bearing against the front end of the spring and the rear faces of the shoes of the front set engaging `With the front face of the wedge of the rear set and the cooperating inclined faces of the frontvshoes and Wedge being of a greater angle than the angle of the cooperating inclines of the rear slices and wedge.

3. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a member having a friction surface, a plurality of sets of friction shoes in frictional engagement therewith, a plurality of wedge members in wedging engagement with said shoes, said wedges and of shoes be ing arranged alternately and in tandem, and a snr-ing, the angle of wedging engagement between they wedge and set of shoes nearest said spring being more acnte than the angle of wedging engagement between the wedge and set of shoes 'farthest 'from said spring, whereby the amount of friction-il work ab sorbed by the nearer set is relatively increased, and the amount of work absorbed by the remoter set is relatively diminishedJ ln fric-tional shock absorbingmechanism, a member having a friction surface, a plurality of sels of friction shoes in frictional engagement therewith, a plurality of wedge members in wedging engagement with said shoes. said wedges and Sets of shoes being arranged alternately and in tandem, and a spring, the acnteness of the wedging angle between successive sets of contacting Wedges and shoes being progressively increased to- Ward the spring, whereby the amount of frictional work absorbed by the sets of segments is substantially equaliiaed.

5. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a member having a frictional surface, a plurality of sets of friction shoes in frictional engagement therewith, a plurality of wedge members in wedgi ng engagement with said shoes, said wedges and sets of shoes be ing arranged alternately and in tandem, andk a spring, the angle of wedging engagement between the wedge and set of shoes nearest the spring being more acute than the angle of wedging engagement between the Wedge and ofV shoes farthest from the s ring, and the frictional bearing surface of t e set of segments nearest the spring being less in area than the frictional bearingsurface of the set farthestl from the spring, Wherebg7 the amount ot frictional work performed by the nearer set of segments is increased, and the intensity of pressure on their friction sur faces is increased. and the amount of fric# tional work and the intensity olffressure on the set ofzsegments more remote from the spring are decreased.

In frictional shock absorbing mech anism, a member having a frictional surface,

plurality of sets of friction shoes in frictional engagement therewith, a plurality of wedge members in wedging enga gement with said shoes, said wedges and sets of shoes being arranged alternately and in tandem, and awspring, the acuteness of the wedging angle between successive sets of contacting Wedges and shoes being progressively increased toward the spring, and the frictional bearing surfaces 'of successive sets of shoes being progressively increased in area away from the spring, whereby the amount of frictional work performed, and the intensity of pressure on the friction surface is substantially equalized.

7. In frictional shock absorbing mechanism, a member having a friction surface, a plurality of sets of friction shoes in frictional engagement therewith, a plurality of wedge members in wedging engagement with said shoes, said wedges and sets of shoes being arranged alternately and in tandem, and a spring, the frictional bearing surfaces of the successive sets of shoes being progressively decreased in area n ward the spring, whereby the intensity of pressure upon the frictional surfaces of the sets of segments is lsubstantially eoualized.

8. In friction draft or bufling mechanism, a casirg having an internal frictional sui'- face, a' plurality of sets of friction shoes having their outer surfaces in engagement therewith and having inner wedge faces. a plurality of Wedge members c0-acting with the inner Wedging faces ofthe friction shoes, said wedges and sets of shoes being arranged alternately and in tandem, and a spring, the frictional bearing surfacesof the successive sets of shoes being progressively decreased in area toward the spring, whereby the inten- -sity of pressure upon the frictional surfaces of the sets of segments is substantially equalized.

Witness my hand this 3rd day of' February, 1911.

CLIFTON W. SHERMAN.

Witnesses :A

THEO. L. POPP, ANNA Haters. 

